Spot Tired Tires With Tire Safety and Maintenance Tips

May 28, 2015

Last updated on May 16th, 2017 at 02:40 pm

Family vacations, jaunts to the shore and last-minute road trips are about to take center stage with the summer driving season. Before you spend all that time in the car, take some time to turn your attention to something vital to safe driving: your tires.

It’s National Tire Safety Week and spending even a few minutes checking out your radials can save you headaches and maybe a few dollars. That means checking the life left on your tire tread (remember the penny test?) or simply rotating them during your next oil change. The Rubber Manufacturers Association has some additional tips:

Check tire pressure with a gauge, not your eyes. The recommended inflation levels can be found in your owner’s manual or on the driver’s door jamb tire information decal.

Register your tires with their manufacturer for recall notifications.

Be mindful of your spare tire – many people never check the pressure of their spare and find it flat when it’s time to use it.

Caring for your tires only takes a few minutes. It’s worth it. Consider what happened last time I had tire trouble.

It was the middle of summer and wavy heat lines were washing over the pavement. My car’s air conditioning wasn’t exactly keeping me cool. I was about to get on a bridge over I-78 when the thumping started. It was a flat. I pulled to the shoulder to check it out, but the first thing I noticed wasn’t the tire – it was the smell. Not 15 feet from my car was a dead skunk. Flat tires never seem to come at a convenient time – or place, apparently.

To add further insult to injury, I popped the trunk to grab my spare. It was flat, too. I called for professional backup and wait. Eventually, I made it home.

Learn from someone who’s been there and check out your tires. A few minutes this weekend might save you a few hours on the side of the road.

Plymouth Rock Assurance wants to know if you have other important tire safety tips to share? A flat tire story of your own? Let us know in the comments section.